"Tha Carter II": I guess I don't get the basics...

As it's been seen throughout history, emcees like to give themselves titles or nicknames to boast how they are above everybody else. Slick Rick always referred to himself as The Ruler; KRS-One was known as The Blastmaster (for his battle skills) as well as The Teacha (for the knowledge he'd drop in his rhymes); Notorious B.I.G. was the first rapper to consistently call himself the King of New York, and Nas and Jay-Z would later 'fight' for that very title; T.I. referred to himself as King of the South, a title that he apparently inherited from Scarface; and towards the end of his career, LL Cool J would refer to himself as the Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T.). Of course, that's only a few examples off the top of my head, but there are many others. Most of these rappers rightfully earn their titles by showing off their skills and being commercially successful for years on end. However, the one rapper who hasn't earned his title in my eyes is Lil Wayne, who refers to himself as The Best Rapper Alive.

In the span of just a few years, Lil Wayne went from just another low average southern rapper to one of the biggest rappers in the game. When he released "Tha Carter" in 2004, the industry finally started to take notice of the scrappy young kid from New Orleans. It was heralded as the point where Wayne, who had been rapping since he was a kid, had finally recognized his potential, making the record both critically and commercially successful. But, as in the case of many modern rap records nowadays, "Tha Carter" was extremely overrated; it didn't bring anything new to the table, just the same topics you'd normally hear from a modern rap album. Wayne was also hyped up as a lyrical savant, but that was also far from the truth: his lyrics were largely unimpressive, and his punchlines were so lame you'd expect them to come with a drum roll. But nevertheless, he had caught the eye of the public, even if he truly wasn't "the best rapper alive since the best rapper retired" like he had claimed. To even further shatter the preconceived notations that the public had, he released the follow up, "Tha Carter II", a year later. When "Carter II" was released, it was a big event. As it would turn out, the sequel would be even more successful than the original, this time being heralded as a 'classic' right out the gate. But the fact is , the terms 'Cash Money Records' and 'Classic' are not usually synonymous, so I couldn't help but be suspicious. Of course most people know what brought along this review (if you don't, go back to my "Carter" review and read the 1st paragraph), so I had to give it another chance to see if Wayne really is worthy of all the hype. After a thorough listen, I can definitely say that this is an improvement on the original "Carter", but it's not enough of an improvement for him to be considered 'the Best Rapper Alive'.

The big difference between the first Carter and this album is the absence of Mannie Fresh. Fresh had been the in-house producer for Cash Money Records since the label's inception, and had produced most of the tracks on "Tha Carter". But when he left the label in August 2005, it meant a major change in the sound of the Cash Money albums. "Tha Carter II" is the first album from Cash Money to have no production from Fresh, but that doesn't mean that the album will be bad. The fact is Mannie Fresh had lost his touch to make real good tracks a while ago, and his production on the first Carter was usually hit or miss (moreso miss). So the lack of Mannie Fresh is more than compensated with a wide range of producers, from The Heatmakerz to newcomers Tmix & Batman, that deliver the hot beats. Production-wise, the album doesn't even have that glittery Cash Money feel aside from "Fireman", which is basically a re-hash of "Go DJ" that doesn't match up. In fact, the award for 'best beat on the album' goes to Bigg D, who produces the anthemic Iron Maiden-sampling "Best Rapper Alive". But it's not just the production that stands out, Wayne also seems to be a bit more sharper with the pen. The opening track "Tha Mobb" is a Dynasty-styled intro where Wayne spits 90 bars, with no breaks or chorus, over a slow beat with clashing pianos, hard kicks, and hand claps. He's able to keep you interested the whole way through and does a good job of showing what he can really be capable of. Then, when the ominous "Fly In" hits, it's obvious that Wayne has stepped his game up, as he again intros the album much like he did the first Carter with "Walk In" (the interlude and outro raps, "Carter II" and "Fly Out", follow suit).

Unfortunately, Wayne does not keep the momentum throughout the whole album. From what I can see, there are two things holding Wayne back from fulfilling his potential. First would be his mediocre lyricism. While it's true that Wayne had stepped up his pen game, most of his rhymes still leave much to be desired. The punchlines, metaphors, and wordplay are still simple and basic, with some being even more laughable than before. Once again, here's a few examples: "The fuck's up wit all these rookie emcees? / Whoo, they smell like a bunch of pussy to me! / Fuck 'em! Fuck 'em good! Fuck 'em long! / Fuck 'em hard! Fuck who? Fuck 'em all!", "I'm hungry like I didn't eat", "I won't slip, even though I'm leanin like a broke hip", "I'm feelin like Mike at a Tyson fight", "I'm back like a brassiere hook", "She need her candle lit and I'mma wax that" (similar to a certain Vanilla Ice line, no?), "I make you run like horses do", "Sick nigga, bitch I spit that leukemia", And of course, everybody's favorite: "Dear Mr. Toilet, I'm the shit / got these other haters pissed cause my toilet paper thick / I know, but trip and that forty make a chip out a potato head wimp / and like ranch I dip". You can't seriously expect me to believe that he's 'Best Rapper Alive' spitting lyrics like this? No way. Songs like "Money on My Mind", the previously mentioned "Fireman", "Mo Fire", and "Weezy Baby" and find Wayne bragging about himself and how much money he has, spitting lyrics like these and not impressing anybody. The second thing holding Wayne back is his lack of fresh subject matter. "Tha Carter" was filled with the same topics that you would normally hear any other mainstream rapper cover, and "Tha Carter II" is mostly the same. You got your standard thug posturing on "Lock & Load" and "Hit 'em Up", catering to the ladies on "Grown Man" and "Receipt", the drug dealer mentions on "I'm a DBoy", and then all the bragging and boasting on all the other tracks I mentioned. Weezy very rarely steps outside of his comfort zone (which is the same comfort zone for most other rappers), and that makes the album somewhat of a disappointment.

That's not to say the album doesn't have any standout tracks. "Hustler Muzik" immediately comes to mind, as Wayne talks about doing whatever he can to survive in this world. While it might fall in the same category as overdone subjects that I mentioned in the last paragraph, Wayne flips it fresh with strong rhymes over T-Mix & Batman's the soulful production, laced with souped-up guitars and blaring horns. In a sense, it's kind of like Wayne's own southern-fried version of "Can't Knock the Hustle", as the hook finds him attacking those who discourage drug dealing: "Baby you gotta know that I'm just out here / doing what I gotta do for me and you / and we eating, so bitch, how the fuck is you tripping? / I'm taking these chances". One track that seemed to be a favorite of the critics is "Shooter", and I gotta say they knew what they were talking about for once... this track is dope as hell. Arguably the most adventurous moment of the album, it's a combination of New Orleans blues and Southern Hip-Hop, one that works very well. Based off a Robin Thicke track, we find Weezy bragging again, but also taking the time out to take down the critics of Southern Hip-Hop: "To the radio stations, I'm tired o' being patient / stop being rapper racists, region haters / this is Southern, face it / if we too simple then y'all don't get the basics". It's creative, catchy, and powerful, probably Lil Wayne's best song yet. It shows what Wayne can accomplish if he steps out of his comfort zone, and "Get Over" does this as well. Over a soulful Cool & Dre track, Wayne drops the arrogance and speaks on everything he had to go through and how he rose above all the strife to be successful. It’s the one moment where Wayne actually appears to have a personality beneath the swagger, speaking on past events like the death of his original father and looking towards the future to see what lies ahead for him and his daughter. Aside from one line on "Feel Me" that mentions Hurricane Katrina, this is the only time that Wayne gets introspective -- and it's a damn shame, if you ask me.

So what's the overall consensus? Well, I can at least say that unlike the first one, "Tha Carter II" doesn't suck. But I can't say that it's all the way good either. It's certainly not a "classic" as other critics had said. Overall, the album is average, nothing more, nothing less. But as I said, the redundant subject matter and weak lyricism is what's holding Lil Wayne back from truly being considered 'The Best Rapper Alive'. I have reason to believe that the success of "Tha Carter" had gassed him up so much that he was really starting to believe his own hype, so he really did think that he was the Best Rapper Alive. But he's not. So I'm sorry to all you Wayne fans who thought "Carter II" would win me over and convert me into a Weezy fan like y'all. But even if Wayne shows his faults, I still recommend that you seek out the CD to listen to it. I won't say that it's worth buying, but borrow it from a friend or something. The reason why I say that is under all the hype, redundant subject matter and less-than-stellar lyricism is an emcee with potential, and "Tha Carter II" serves as a preview to what he can accomplish if he really tries. I'm just hoping Wayne really realizes his potential on "Tha Carter III".

FINAL RATING: 3 Stars

Track listing:
1. Tha Mobb (4 Stars)
2. Fly In (5 Stars)
3. Money on My Mind (2 Stars)
4. Fireman (2 1/2 Stars)
5. Mo Fire (0 Stars)
6. On the Block #1 (NOT RATED)
7. Best Rapper Alive (4 Stars)
8. Lock & Load feat. Kurupt (3 Stars)
9. Oh No (3 1/2 Stars)
10. Grown Man feat. Currency (2 Stars)
11. On the Block #2 (NOT RATED)
12. Hit 'em Up (1 1/2 Stars)
13. Carter II (4 1/2 Stars)
14. Hustler Musik (5 Stars)
15. Receipt (4 1/2 Stars)
16. Shooter (5 Stars)
17. Weezy Baby feat. Nikki (1 Star)
18. On the Block #3 (NOT RATED)
19. I'm a DBoy feat. Birdman (1 Star)
20. Feel Me (3 1/2 Stars)
21. Get Over feat. Nikki (5 Stars)
22. Fly Out (4 1/2 Stars)